As one of France's leading supporter groups, the Brigade Loire are well-known for their iconic displays and tifos. This year, the group celebrate their 25 years of existence, and ahead of a crunch derby clash against Rennes we take a look at some tifos which have marked recent memory.
The most recent, but perhaps the most notable in recent years as Brigade Loire celebrated their 25 years of existence against Strasbourg last March. During the course of the match (lost by the Canaris 1-3) Les Nantais deployed five tifos depicting the history of the group and the Loire stand, which houses the most fervent and vocal sections of FC Nantes' support.
A poignant display, so much so that it was voted as the Tifo of the year by the club's fans for the 2019-2020 season! It was in homage to Emiliano Sala and other great historic personalities of the Club (Philippe Gondet, José Arribas, Seth Adonkor, Henri Michel, Philippe Daguillon and Jean Vincent). The message reads in French "From Adonkor to Sala, our collective memory makes you immortal!"
This one came against Italian giants Juventus in the knockout play-off round of the UEFA Europa League last season. Despite losing the tie (4-1), Les Canaris did themselves proud off the pitch with a tifo depicting local landmarks and … a volcano. The message below in French reads: "A City in motion, La Beaujoire is Erupting!"
2023 was certainly a busy year for Les Canaris as Nantes journeyed to the Coupe de France final for a second year in a row. Before the 1-0 victory against Lyon in the semi-finals that sparked a full-on pitch invasion, here the Brigade Loire decided to honour the heroes of Coupe de France titles gone by in the past as they searched for another title. The French reads: "We're down to do it again!"
The winter months were painful for the Nantes faithful following the death of fellow supporter Maxime during a match against OGC Nice (1-0) only a few days earlier. The Brigade Loire paid tribute to 'Max' against Stade Brestois with a huge tifo and a poignant minute of silence. The French reads: "Max, Forever…"